Astounding Superman
by Gigglehammer
Summary: Superman learns of his origins and how to stand as an example for the people of world as they enter into a new golden age of superheroes. Taking place on Earth-24 in one of the many multiverses of the DC universe, Although Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas simply calls this place, "Home"
1. Astounding Superman 001

Astounding Superman #001

Clark was flying through the air, _as close as one could get anyway_ ; he sat with his head out the window, letting the wind ravage his thick black hair. They had gotten away with it; four high school boys had snuck into Mister Hunt's barn and lifted the exquisite electric blue corvette they were now careening over the countryside in.

"It's just a little joyride." Bruno said when he ripped off the white tarp unveiling the machine. "Besides," he said with a grin, "That old geezer won't know a thing. We'll leave it right where we found it."

Clark was reluctant at first, but these guys were the first friends he had in a while. Most of the other kids didn't like him; he almost killed Jeremy Benson in the fourth grade, after that he spent his days by himself reading, or helping his dad on the farm. He wasn't going to get back into sports after that, but even after he stopped playing football they were still wary of his physical presence. He remembered shaking the dean's hand when he graduated eighth grade, and seeing the man holding back tears the rest of the ceremony. He tried to keep a lid on his strength, but he regularly had to come home with a note for detention, and a bill for opening his locker too roughly.

"Just like a bull in a china shop." His dad would laugh; but Clark hated it. Always feeling out of control, he wouldn't allow himself to relax for a minute during gym in case he put another boy in the hospital for three weeks. He felt like a monster half of the time and that is when Bruno had found him.

He invited Clark to sit with his gang at lunch one day; both had been in the same Boy Scout troop when they were younger. Bruno remembered stories about the football game years ago involving the Kent kid, and he thought it would be of interest to check him out.

Clark was over the moon, he had people who sat with him and didn't cringe when he waved or got too close. They were a little rough around the edges sometimes, but he decided that if people were going to talk to him he would grin and bear it.

Kent could smell the telltale signs of smoke on her boy's jacket and she didn't like the hungry eyes of that Bruno boy when he came around the farm. But she knew that they would have to let him make his own decisions, they raised him right. Ultimately she knew he was a good boy. She didn't think twice when she heard the car zooming past the farm so late at night. And the hoot and holler of boys being boys was carried elsewhere by the wind.

"Ugh" Bruno grunted, he had cut a turn to sharply, and he could feel the vehicle tipping over. He caught a glance at Clark, whose eyes had already registered the horror that was about to unfold and looked at Bruno with an expression that pleaded with him to fix it.

But it was too late; they were rolling down the side of the hill. Chuckie and Hue were bouncing around like bowling pins getting hit head on by a ball. As quickly as it happened, it was over. Bruno checked his face in the mirror; there were some scratches but nothing too serious. Hue was groaning in the backseat. Clark was shivering in the front, he was shouting words, but they didn't register.

 _Oh well._

He unbuckled and slid out, having to move acrobatically because the wreck was tipped onto its side. "That was a nice care."

Clark was already outside, "Bruno, help! The car is pinned on Chuckie!"

He looked over and saw Chuckie unconscious with two tons of Mercedes pinning him down. He didn't look dead, but he was pretty limp. Hue was already running down the road.

"Clark, take care of this. I'm going home." He dusted off his shirt and lit a cigarette.

"We can't leave him here!"

"Well, when the cops come. I won't be around to answer their questions. It's done, Kent. Mass is over. I'm out of here."

Clark watched his friend leave walking down the road and pocketing the cigarette when it was down to the stump.

"So the cops can't get anything." Clark whispered to himself, quoting Bruno from earlier when he showed him that trick.

He was alone now, with the limp body of Chuckie at his feet. He grunted and struggled to lift the car, he could feel his muscles shake and burn but he had the part pinning Chuckie to the ground up enough for someone to drag Chuckie out of harm's way. But both of those cowards had run away.

 _Oh god, I'm going to drop this on him I can't lift it anymore._

Before he could give up though, a voice called out from above the ridge where they crashed through the guardrail, "Is anyone hurt down there?"

Clark shouted, "Yes! Please help I can't hold this much longer!"

He waited what felt like an eternity, but was only a few moments. He saw the figure pull Chuckie out of the way and finally, when all the strength seemed to have run out Clark dropped the car and panted on the ground.

"So, that's where my car went." Clark looked up and saw the familiar face of farmer Olson; lines were etched deep into his face. He was the town's angry alcoholic old man that could be seen most nights under the dim lights of the local tavern.

"Clean up the kid, make sure he is breathing. We are going to get our story straight for the police. Clark, listen to me carefully…"

"Of course, Clark, I may not have told the cops, but your parent's should be waiting for you inside."

"Right. Thanks again, Mister Hunt…I just wanted to say I'm Sor..."

"Isn't anything to be sorry for. Just be at my farm early Monday. You will be working it off."

With that Clark mumbled more apologies and faced the longest walk to the front door of his home in his life. His stomach flipped and churned. He wasn't sure what his parents were going to say, but he wasn't expecting what his father did say at all.

"Son, we love you more than anything… But, we know you have questions. We believe it is time to tell you were you come from."


	2. Astounding Superman 002

"Almost done Mister Hunt!" Clark shouted as he threw the last bale of hay into the bed of the truck. The farmer wasn't kidding when he said he was going to put him to work. Both he and Chuckie were doing all the chores on his farm. "With all the labor costs you boys are saving me, I'll be able to buy two fancy cars!" Hunt chuckled.

Clark tapped the car twice and the old farmer was off, Chuckie tossed him a water bottle and Clark was happy there was a break in the workload.

"Hey, Kent, I never had a chance to say this, but I wanted to thank you for staying and pulling me out of the car."

"No problem, I'm glad the adrenaline kicked in. And that Mister Hunt was there to help."

Except he was lying, he might not even have adrenaline like other people. He was an alien from some far off world. At first he didn't believe his parents; he thought it was some new way of punishing your kids by freaking them out.

But then they brought him down under a secret hatch in the shed. He'd never been down there, didn't even know it existed.

"Is this where you keep your moonshine?" Clark bit his tongue after that joke, but he was nervous descending the dusty stairs.

"No…well yes, but that's not the main purpose of the basement here." His father said.

"Well then, what is?"

With that his mom flicked the switch, and right in the middle of the dirt floor under a single flickering bulb was a large egg shaped pod.

"No way, where did you guys get this."

"Well son, it landed in our farm about seventeen years ago. We checked it out, and you were sitting right in that seat." He pointed to the circular window that revealed a tiny cockpit.

"But I look human, I feel human. If I was an alien, why do I look like this?" Clark was in hysterics.

"Son, you are human. You may not be from here, but you were raised here. You are also something else, and that is important. But you are strong; you are destined to do something amazing. You might not be from earth, but you are our son and you are human." His mother embraced him and he slumped over holding back tears, overwhelmed by everything that was happening.

They talked more that night; they showed him everything that was in the pod with him some different strange styles of clothing hung up on a cheap rack.

"I wonder what this 'S' thing is?" He had picked up a black and red cloak that had the letter wrapped in a diamond-like emblem. "The aliens couldn't have our alphabet, the other outfits had much stranger runes and writing on them. But the cloak with the 'S' left an impression on him the most. It was alien but still resembled something human.

"Hey, Clark, what the hell are you thinking about?" Chuckie snapped him back to reality.

"Sorry, nothing. Say, have you seen Bruno around lately?" Clark asked, the revelation that he was an alien had been a week ago. He kept expecting to be beamed up to a mothership or start probing cows while he sleep walked. But everything just felt the same, still felt human.

"No, I haven't seen him, and I don't want to. Good riddance. That guy scares me Clark. Not just because he left us stranded there, he's just a little _unhuman_." Chuckie said. Clark cringed at the word.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, all of his talk of those wild nights out being like going to church or praying or what not. Always kinda freaked me out. I just wanted a thrill, and I got all my thrills done now. But…but he did it for a different reason."

"Yeah…I get what you mean."

A short while later they saw Farmer Hunt's truck in the distance on its way back to the farm.

"Huh. That's strange; it usually takes him way longer to get to town and back." Clark said.

"Hey, Mister Hunt what'd you do run every red light on your way there?" Chuckie was laughing, but Clark saw the serious look on the farmer's face.

"What happened?" Clark hadn't seen that look before, not even when they were taking Chuckie to the hospital.

"Boys, I was listening to the radio, and, well…somethin' happened in Metropolis today. Somethin' big."

That was where Clark Kent was when he first heard the news of Mister Marvel. He was one of the handful of remaining superheroes left in the public eye. Many would remember this day and recount where they were when they first heard the news. Later the newspaper called it the 'End of the Golden Age' which seemed fitting. It started as an attack on Metropolis tower by terrorists which were quickly thwarted by Captain Marvel. As he was handing them over to the authorities Black Adam, his arch-nemesis had appeared on the scene. Clark would remember the haunting play by play of their battle over the radio. They had dueled many times before, but something was different. There was a tone of ice in the reporter's voice, he knew something was off.

The reporters lost the two super beings on the top of the tower, but a helicopter camera crew caught the last few moments of the battle. Captain Marvel and Black Adam were grappling each other, locked in an embrace that generated waves of energy. Until, something happened. A sudden bolt of lightning crashed down on the two, and in the next frame of footage there was no superhero, no supervillain. There was just smoke and ash where they had previously stood.

"I- I see no sign of Captain Marvel or Black Adam." Clark listened as the radio reported spoke, "Something terrible may have happened."

They were silent the rest of the day, but Clark spent the rest of the evening with his parents watching the footage repeat over and over again on the news. Two smaller buildings were hit by bombs it turned out, and there was chaos in the aftermath. But the facts started to slowly come to light. Some terrorist organization had tried targeting Metropolis tower, but Captain Marvel had stopped them. And in the following weeks it became clearer that he given up his life to save millions.


End file.
